Loggers fall to Bulldogs

Coming into the Feb. 14 game against the South Suburban College men’s basketball team, the Loggers had won 4 of their last 9 games after a dismal 0-14 start to the season. The Loggers were hoping to rally off another win.

The Loggers went into the half up 39-25; going 5 out of 11 from 3-point range. It seemed as though the Loggers might be able to run away with the game. However, the Bulldogs went on a 23-7 run to grab the lead with 16 minutes left to go.

The Loggers trailed by as many as 11 points late in the game, and the Bulldogs kept control. However, even after being 8 points down with 1:18 left on the clock, the Loggers did not give up.

The Loggers trailed by 3 with 2 seconds on the clock and had possession of the ball. Logan Clayton, a sophomore guard for the Loggers, was fouled before being able to attempt the game tying shot. Instead, he went to the line to shoot two free throws.

After making the first one, he intentionally missed the second one to give his team a chance to rebound and put up a last second shot to tie it up at 93 a piece. Despite grabbing the rebound, the Loggers were unable to put in the final shot and lost a heartbreaker; 93-91.

Despite the frustrating loss, Coach Chuck Shanklin had a lot of praise for his team. “These guys could’ve thrown in the towel a long time ago but they didn’t. They kept fighting and continued to show up to practice with the same energy they had when we started the season.”

There were six players who finished with double digits, with Sophomore Jake Pennell leading the team with a 20-point performance.

Shanklin had a lot of praise for the sophomore out of Williamsville: “He’s our leader out there on the court. He’s one of our more consistent players on the court as well as in practice. A great team player.”

Dylan Suprenant can be reached at [email protected].